Robert Bolden, St. Mary Prep
File photo by Domenic Centofanti
Last weekend, Bolden led St. Mary to a 25-16 victory over Warren De La Salle, which had been ranked No. 1 in the state.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound quarterback had a banner 2008 season in which he was 72-of-113 passing for 951 yards and seven touchdowns.
"He's doing everything we've asked him to do," St. Mary coach George Poritt said. "His arm strength is huge. His overall speed has been very good."
Bolden quarterbacked St. Mary as a sophomore when the team played in the Division 3 state championship game at Ford Field.
"He's a great kid," Poritt said. "He works hard. He makes quick reads. The biggest thing he has to do at the next level is reading defenses better."
In the upset win over De La Salle, Gary Hunter ran back a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and had a 31-yard interception return for another score. Bolden was 7-of-13 passing for 90 yards, and had 11 carries for 95 yards.
Graham the latest star for Lowell
It's not unusual for Lowell, a Grand Rapids-area school, and the state's new No. 1-ranked school in Division 2, to have a state powerhouse loaded with Division I college recruits. (Former quarterback Kyle Nichol is currently fighting for the top spot on the Michigan State roster.)
The Red Arrows are coming off a wild 57-34 win against Muskegon Mona Shores. Lowell's Austin Graham rushed for four second-half touchdowns. He finished with 252 yards on 35 carries and is drawing the eyes of college scouts, as are some of his teammates.
"They always have just great athletes," Greenville coach Dave Moore said. "They have several kids they believe will be Division I football players. So far, they've won big in each of the games they've played. They're a great team and score a lot of points."
Suggs a scoring machine
Grand Rapids West Catholic is also scoring a lot of points, and is proving to be a dangerous machine on the field. Last week, Loren Suggs of Grand Rapids West Catholic had 303 rushing yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns in his team's 50-17 victory over Forest Hills Northern.
"This group of kids does a great job of playing together," West Catholic coach Dan Rohn said. "These kids like playing together and they've been extremely coachable. They're a real smart group."
Suggs, a senior, has 633 yards in four games and had a career high against Forest Hills Northern.
"They gave us some different looks. Our kids up front have been playing very well," Rohn said. "Loren is hitting the holes coming downhill and he's a physical kid. He's not going to run around many people. He runs through a lot of arm tackles. He has some breakaway speed. He has a good mix of power and speed. He sees the field very well."
West Catholic is averaging 438 yards of offense per game, including 279 on the ground.
Luma gets Hudson off to a 4-0 start
Chris Luma recently became the winningest coach in Hudson history and is off to a 4-0 start in his 13th season as head coach. He has coached Hudson to nine state playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2003, and has a 96-37 overall record. Luma also played at Hudson and was part of the school's 72-game winning streak, which was a national record at the time it was recorded in 1975.
Stars last weekend
• Walled Lake Northern quarterback Jason Tucker, who completed 19-of-34 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns and also had 188 yards rushing and a TD in his team's 50-39 victory over Walled Lake Western.
• Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills' Devon Ivy had 169 yards rushing and more than 200 of total offense in his team's 49-34 victory over Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Ottawa Hills quarterback Nick Ens completed 19-of-32 pass attempts for 352 yards.
• Kelloggsville's Chris Brown gained 275 yards and had four touchdowns in his team's 41-0 win over Kent City.
• Kyle Dinkins threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns for Ecorse (4-0), both to Eddie Dansby, who had eight catches for 150 yards in his undefeated team's 40-3 win over Adrian Lenawee Christian.
• Allendale's Trevor Schultz covered 207 yards on 12 carries and had TD runs of 74, 55 and 12 yards in his team's 51-22 win over Godwin Heights.
• Grand Rapids South Christian's Jordan Haan was 16-of-30 in passing for 258 yards in his team's 34-28 victory over Middleville.
• Canton's Arron Boudreaux had a 95-yard TD kickoff return to open the game in his team's 44-6 victory over Westland John Glenn.
